Husqvarna News Release
Saint John, NB - September 7, 2011 - Husqvarna Canada's Guy Giroux has once again confirmed his status has one of the most successful motorcycle racers in Canada by securing the 2011 Pro Championship, with the final round still remaining, in Quebec's new CMRC Competition Off-road Series.
Giroux stormed his way to the checkered flag and took the win in all of the first 5 races of the 6 round series. With a perfect score under his belt, Guy accomplished his goal of wrapping up the Pro Championship, with his undefeated streak intact, before the series heads to Victoriaville for the final round on September 24th and 25th.
In a mirror of Giroux's feat, Karine Geoffrion took possession of the 2011 Ladies Championship with an amazing 5 straight wins aboard her Husqvarna in the opening five rounds of the series. It was sweet redemption for Geoffrion who missed taking the 2010 FMSQ Championship by only a few points.
Unfortunately, the celebration for Giroux, Geoffrion, and the rest of the Husqvarna squad, was bitter sweet with the news that one of Husky Canada's young stars, Philippe Chaine, had suffered a horrible crash and serious injury the day before.
Phil opted to run an FMSQ event on August 27th for extra practice prior to Rounds 5 & 6 of the Canadian Enduro Championship in Labelle, Quebec. Chaine was also scheduled to compete at Round 5 of Quebec's new CMRC Competition Off-Road Series the following day, Sunday, August 28th, where he maintained 2nd Overall in the Championship hunt.
Unfortunately, Philippe suffered a serious crash less than 500 feet from the finish line while commanding a solid lead in the Pro Class. His injuries included fractures to his vertebrae that required surgery. Phil successfully underwent surgery on Sunday, August 28th and his chances for full recovery are excellent.
In addition to his success in Quebec this year, Phil maintained a solid lead in the E1 Class of the Canadian Enduro Championship with 3 Wins in the first 4 Rounds. After his dominant performance at the Eastern CEC Rounds in 2010, there was little doubt that Chaine was in a great position to nail the E1 CEC Title in 2011.
"Knowing that Phil was getting surgery while we were racing on Sunday was tough" said Giroux. "I spent a lot of time with him this summer and I was really devastated to know he was hurt bad. It was hard to focus during the race.
I got out front and did not feel like pushing it. I just did what I had to do to maintain my lead and take the win. It means a lot to me to win another Quebec Championship, and I worked hard for it this year, but my mind was with Phil and the celebration was pretty low key."
Philippe's sister, Veronique Chaine, has been running strong in the Ladies Class on her Husky TXC 250 all season. Veronique notched podiums at every round she raced this year and consistently ran a strong 2nd at her last 3 races behind Ladies Champion, and fellow Husqvarna racer, Karine Geoffrion.
After establishing solid ownership of 2nd Overall in the Ladies Championship title hunt, Veronique was forced to miss Round 5 of the series as she helped her family work through the injury that had occurred with her brother Phil the day before.
In addition to Husqvarna's dominance in the Pro and Ladies A Classes, there are several other Husky racers who are leading or running near the front of the pack in their respective classes.
Most notably, 15 year wonder kid, Samuel Rousseau has been turning heads all season in the A Class on his Husky CR 150 and now commands a significant points lead in the Championship with only the final round remaining. Sam has worked incredibly hard for his success this year and has been training side by side with Guy Giroux all season.
In a fitting acknowledgement of his talent and work ethic, Husqvarna is pleased to confirm that Rousseau will join the primary Husqvarna Canada team for the remainder of the 2011 season and beyond. Sam will join Giroux and the rest of the team under the Husky canopies at the final 4 rounds of the Canadian Enduro Championship where he will have his sights set on chasing the Eastern CEC A Class Championship.
"It has been fun to work with Sam over the last few months" said Giroux. "It's great to see a kid that wants it as bad as I did when I was that age. He pushes hard and has the right qualities to be a great Champion.
I'm excited that we can give him the opportunity to join our team and I think Samuel is going to turn heads for sure. I'm also really happy that some of our key sponsors like Motovan, Oakley, EC3D and Xtreme were able to step up and help us support him right away."
To add icing to the cake, young Husqvarna speedster, Christophe Mongrain, has been on the gas all season and topped it off by nailing the Wins at the last 2 rounds and has now clinched the 2011 C Class Championship.
In the 40+ A Class, Husky racer Francois Geoffrion, father to Ladies Champion Karine, has a firm grip on the Championship title in his class as the series prepares for the final round in Victoriaville.
"Giroux has done a great job of leading the charge with our race program again this year", says Husqvarna Canada's Marc Coffin. "He has won almost 20 Championships in Quebec only and he provides huge motivation for the rest of the team and for a ton of up and coming racers.
To have Karine snag the Ladies Championship and to see so many other Husky racers running top three in their classes is definitely satisfying. Sam Rousseau is flying and I think he will do amazing with Giroux's coaching and support. It's been a great season in Quebec but our thoughts are definitely with Phil and his family right now as they tackle the road to recovery."
In only its second year of competition, the FP Husqvarna team has enjoyed an enormous amount of success. Since entering its first races the spring of 2010, the FP crew has fought their way to well over 60 Pro Class Podiums in Regional and National races across the country; including more than 20 Wins.
In 2010, the new Husqvarna team finished its debut season in the Canadian Enduro Championship with 10 Pro Class Podiums and the Top Pro Junior Award.
With 2 Championships, 15 Wins and over 35 podiums already under its belt in 2011, including a clean sweep of both the Pro and the Ladies A Champioships in the CMRC Quebec Off-Road Series, the Husqvarna Canada squad is definitely on track for another great racing season!
In a true testament that the Husqvarna Invasion of Canada is in full swing, so far in 2011, local Husky racers, from Novices to seasoned Vet Pros, have already accumulated over 125 Podiums in Motocross, Off-Road, Ice Racing and Supermotard races across the country; including more than 50 Wins and 2 National Ice Racing Championships!
We are very grateful to our many amazing sponsors that provide us with the outstanding support that has allowed us to help raise the bar in Canadian off-road racing. Without them, none of it would be possible.
Team Sponsors
Husqvarna Canada, Feeding Performance Inc., Motovan, Rekluse, Ogio, Oakley, Xtreme, TCX, Axis, Zox, Pro-Tech, Etnies, Throttle Entertainment, UNI Filter, DID, LeoVince, GPR Stabilizer, Motul, LimeNine, EC3D, Impact Canopies, GoPro, Enduro Engineering, Supersprox, SkyCap, Boyesen, E-line, IMS, Matrix Concepts, Tuff As Gutz, Super B Batteries, TM Designworks, Dunlop and Zip Ty Racing.
Special thanks to the Husqvarna Canada Dealers that provide extra assistance to help ensure our race program is a success; Enduro MX in Quebec City, FLM Sport in St-Jerome-St-Antoine and RiverCity Cycle in Kamloops.
About Husqvarna Motorcycles
Tradition on two wheels since 1903
Husqvarna Motorcycles, a part of the BMW Group since October 2007, are widely known and respected in the off-road world for a heritage of competition and have accumulated almost 80 World Championships in Motocross, Enduro and Supermotard. Originally founded in Sweden in 1903, Husqvarna motorcycles have been designed and manufactured in Varese, Italy since 1987.
For more information or to find a dealer near you, please visit
www.husqvarnamotorcycle.ca and www.husqvarnaracing.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment